Chapter 198: The Victory Academy

With just one day left before the Freshman Championship, Feng Qi finished breakfast and led his students, pushing their luggage, to the entrance of the gymnasium.

At the entrance, three buses were parked, each with a label on the windows designating the classes they would transport. The participating classes from Star City Academy this year were Combat Class Three, Combat Class Six, and Combat Class Eight.

Combat Class Two, which had initially intended to participate, withdrew after a friendly match against Combat Class Six. Realizing they would be merely making up the numbers, they decisively chose to forfeit.

This year's Eastern Region Freshman Championship, as in previous years, was hosted in Victory City. Victory Academy, located in this city, held the record for the most championship titles in the tournament's history.

Standing beside the bus labeled for Combat Class Three, Feng Qi explained their details to the smoking bus driver. After a brief conversation, he led the students to load their luggage onto the vehicle and board.

Once everyone was seated, the driver stubbed out his cigarette at the trash can near the gym, boarded, and started the engine. Without waiting for the other classes, the bus left Star City Academy, heading for the eastern district airport.

The scenery outside the windows blurred as the bus picked up speed. After a two-hour drive, the vehicle arrived at the airport. Feng Qi and the students disembarked with their luggage and met with a staff member sent to escort them. Following a handshake, they were led toward the "Special Airport" area.

Soon after, they boarded a plane reserved for Star City Academy. Since the other classes hadn't yet arrived, the plane remained on the ground.

Gathering Lü Yue and the others, Feng Qi began discussing the Freshman Championship.

He had researched the participating classes from other academies thoroughly, especially based on a detailed post in the Star City Academy forum analyzing their opponents' overall strength. Based on this intel, they had devised different strategies the previous night to counter various scenarios.

While they waited, the instructors from Combat Class Six and Combat Class Eight arrived with their students, boarding the plane. After exchanging greetings, Feng Qi and the other instructors conducted a headcount to confirm all students were present. Once the information was relayed to the staff, the plane began taxiing to the runway.

As the aircraft ascended, Feng Qi felt the familiar pushback sensation. Watching the shrinking landscape below, a wave of emotions surged within him.

Without considering his future timeline memories, this marked his first time leaving Star City. In the future timeline, both of his departures from the city had been journeys of despair, brimming with resolve to face death.

Staring out at the diminishing view, he couldn't help but reflect.

"Qi-ge, if we win the championship, how do you plan to spend the prize money?" Lin Ran asked curiously, sitting beside him.

"Treat you all to a meal at the academy cafeteria?" Feng Qi replied with a grin.

"That's it?"

"What else? Food outside doesn't taste as good as what's served in the academy."

"Fair enough. But I'm really looking forward to this year's Freshman Championship. Back in my first year, I participated and got crushed by Victory Academy," Lin Ran said with a sigh.

This revelation surprised Feng Qi. "You've competed before?"

"Of course! I'm not a freshman. I'm an exchange student from Winterfell Academy. Naturally, I competed during my freshman year."

"But you're a cultivation techniques student, right?"

"They thought I had potential and pulled me into the combat class temporarily for the competition. Afterward, I returned to my original class."

Feng Qi nodded in understanding. "What rank did your team achieve back then?"

"Winterfell Academy is notorious for being perpetual runners-up. Victory Academy always beats us to the top spot. My year was no exception—we got second place. But this year might be different. Based on online analyses, Winterfell Academy is the favorite to win and likely our biggest competition."

Their conversation gave Feng Qi a clearer understanding of the Freshman Championship. It was an annual large-scale event held in the Eastern Region, drawing significant online attention with live-streamed matches.

This year's competitors were from five academies:

Star City Academy from Star City,

Future Academy from Future City,

Winterfell Academy from Winterfell City,

Victory Academy from Victory City,

and Old Day Academy from the most remote eastern region, Old Day City.

Only academies with combat-oriented programs participated. Academies specializing in technology, formations, or spiritual medicine did not compete.

As the discussion wound down, Feng Qi turned back to the window.

The plane had now left the boundaries of Star City, revealing a view of the broader world. Domain fields of varying colors sprawled across the land like parasites, deeply rooted in the human world. Their coverage extended to the skies, necessitating evasive maneuvers during flight to avoid marked domain field zones.

Historically, many aviation disasters were caused by planes inadvertently entering domain fields. Within these fields—especially those governed by rules entirely alien to the human world—aircraft faced unpredictable dangers: gravity distortions, instant disintegration, engine explosions, and even monster attacks. Such incidents were rampant during the early days of domain field expansion.

To this day, marked domain fields were strictly designated as no-fly zones, except for those explicitly deemed safe for transit.

Three hours later, the plane began its descent, piercing through the clouds.

Feng Qi gazed at the bustling modern metropolis below. Victory City, a historic and legendary city in the Eastern Region, came into view.

The city's origins traced back to the early days of the domain invasions. To resist the encroachment of domain fields, several cities united their military forces, forming the early Victory Army. The alliances forged during that time became the foundation of Victory City.

The name "Victory" symbolized the unyielding resolve of the region's residents to combat the domains and their yearning for triumph.

The eventual victory was achieved at the cost of countless lives, with millions of warriors and civilians sacrificing themselves to secure this hard-won peace.

Built upon this foundation, Victory Academy became the only institution in the Eastern Region specializing in training war commanders. Over the past 500 years, numerous military leaders and domain combat squad commanders have emerged from Victory Academy, shaping the region's defenses.

The academy's teaching model follows a purely elite training approach.

After about ten minutes, the sensation of weightlessness indicated the plane's descent. The aircraft landed smoothly at the northern airport of Victory City.

Once the plane came to a stop, the captain's voice echoed through the broadcast system. The cabin door opened, and everyone began disembarking.

At the nearby terminal, several buses were already waiting. After a brief handshake with the staff member there to receive them, Feng Qi and the students boarded the designated bus.

The vehicle gradually left the airport, heading toward Victory Academy.

As the bus traveled, Feng Qi observed the cityscape of Victory City through the window.

Unlike Star City's modern designs or Future City's futuristic aesthetic, Victory City's urban landscape was dotted with older buildings. These structures bore the marks of age and history, with their weathered exteriors.

However, these buildings were preserved due to their historical significance—former residences of heroes, battle command centers, and memorial halls. Every corner of this city was imbued with profound historical and cultural meaning.

After a few hours of travel, the sky had darkened, and the vehicle arrived at the gates of Victory Academy.

Standing at the entrance was a majestic statue, its surface stained crimson, exuding an aura of strength and resilience.

From the accompanying staff member, Feng Qi learned that the statue depicted Ji Xianfeng, the eighth commander of the Victory Army and the founder of Victory Academy.

After the bus driver presented his credentials, the vehicle was allowed through the gates, entering the academy grounds.

Flanking the road leading into the academy were rows of stone monuments. Each monument recorded the details of a battle, with the names of Victory Academy alumni who participated in the fight inscribed upon them.

The road stretched over 300 meters, with a monument every few steps. Each monument represented a war, and every name on them was a fallen hero.

The sight left Feng Qi deeply moved. In his mind, he pictured the youthful students, brimming with energy and hope, leaving the academy to face the harsh realities of war.

After driving for another ten minutes, the bus stopped in front of a dormitory building.

Feng Qi got off the bus along with the students and was greeted by another staff member. After confirming the dormitory assignments, they entered the building with their luggage.

A short while later, Feng Qi arrived at Room 1702. Swiping his card, he unlocked the door, placed his luggage inside, and returned to the dormitory entrance.

While waiting, Lin Ran and the others, having settled their belongings, gradually gathered at the entrance as well.

Under the staff's guidance, they made their way to Victory Academy's dining hall for dinner.

The meals at Victory Academy were identical to those served at Star City Academy the previous month.

This did not surprise Feng Qi. After all, the culinary teams of the academies rotated monthly. This time, it was likely Victory Academy's turn to host the chefs from Star City Academy.

After dinner, they were taken to the academy's reception hall.

By nine o'clock in the evening, the students representing the five academies in the competition were all seated.

At that moment, the principal of Victory Academy, the host institution for this year's Freshman Championship, arrived.

The principal appeared to be in his early forties, with a friendly smile that exuded warmth and sophistication.

After taking his seat on the stage, he began explaining the details of the tournament.

The briefing lasted for thirty minutes. Following that, his assistant brought out a lottery box.

As the representative of Combat Class Three, Feng Qi stood up and went to the stage to draw lots, joining the other representatives in line.

There were a total of 12 participating classes:

Three from Star City Academy,

Two from Future Academy,

Four from Winterfell Academy,

Two from Old Day Academy,

and one from Victory Academy.

Each class fielded 60 participants. Combat Class Three, led by Feng Qi, was an exception with only ten members.

The competition process was straightforward.

In the first round, the 12 classes would be divided into six groups—A, B, C, D, E, and F—via a draw. Each group would consist of two classes competing for the sole advancement slot.

In the second round, the six advancing classes would be split into three matchups: Group A-B, Group C-D, and Group E-F, with each matchup determining one winner.

The third round involved a draw to select one class to skip the round, while the other two competed.

The final round would be the championship match.

Classes that lost their advancement opportunities would also compete in subsequent matches to determine the final rankings of all participating classes.

In the first-round draw, Feng Qi's Combat Class Three was assigned to Group B. Sharing the group with them was Future Academy's Combat Class One.

The drawing results were soon displayed on the large screen.

Returning to his seat, Feng Qi noticed Lin Ran turning to him with a grin.

"Qi-ge, the first match will be a walk in the park. With our strength, it'll be like cutting through butter."

"Be humble," Feng Qi replied with a smirk.

"But the second round will be against Winterfell Academy's Combat Class Four. That should be a lot of fun."

As they chatted, Principal Ji of Victory Academy returned to the podium and began announcing the schedule for the next day's matches.

The finalized schedule was also displayed on the large screen for everyone to see.

By the time they returned to the dormitory building, it was already 10 p.m.

After parting ways with Lin Ran and the others at the dorm entrance, Feng Qi went back to his assigned room.

The student rooms at Victory Academy were more spacious compared to those at Star City Academy, with equally comprehensive facilities.

Walking over to the balcony, he slid open the glass door, letting the cool night breeze sweep into the room. Leaning against the railing, he took in the nighttime view of Victory Academy.

From the 17th floor, most of the academy's vast campus was visible.

Just then, he noticed a figure standing on the balcony of a nearby room to his left. Turning to get a better look, he saw a man dressed in an unusual outfit—a crimson Daoist robe, holding a Bagua disc in his right hand, gazing up at the starry sky.

The man's attire struck Feng Qi as oddly familiar, as if he'd seen it somewhere before. After a moment of reflection, it clicked.

He had come across this image in the Star City Database while researching the Dawn Army. The database contained brief descriptions of the Dawn Army's members and their organizational hierarchy, referred to as "One Demon, Three Calamities, and Eight Kings."

This man's appearance closely resembled Qin Shikong, one of the "Three Calamities."

"Am I seeing things, narrator?" Feng Qi asked inwardly.

[You're not mistaken. This is indeed the same Qin Shikong from the Dawn Army database.]

Hearing the narrator's confirmation, Feng Qi nodded internally.

As for why Qin Shikong was here, it wasn't hard to figure out. The Freshman Championship wasn't just a spectacle for the participating academies and their students, nor just for the online audience. It also drew the attention of many domain combat squads.

Every year, commanders from these squads would attend the championship to scout potential recruits early on. Qin Shikong's presence was no exception.

Seemingly sensing Feng Qi's gaze, Qin Shikong turned his head and smiled faintly.

"Here for the tournament?" he asked.

"No, I'm leading a class in the tournament," Feng Qi replied with a smile, recognizing the man as a future ally in the next timeline.

"Leading a class? You're that young and already a... Wait, are you Feng Qi?" Qin Shikong's tone shifted to surprise.

"You've heard of me?" Feng Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your reputation as a genius has been making waves recently," Qin Shikong said, glancing back at the stars before looking at Feng Qi again.

"Would you like me to give you a reading?"

Feng Qi was caught off guard. "A reading?"

"What, do I look like some kind of scammy fortune-teller to you?" Qin Shikong laughed.

While Feng Qi wasn't one to believe in mysticism, he considered their shared future and decided to indulge him. "Alright, give me a reading."

"Great! Tell me your birthdate, eight characters, and... your zodiac sign," Qin Shikong said, his grin widening.

"My zodiac sign?" Feng Qi was puzzled.

"It's a hybrid method I developed, blending Chinese and Western divination," Qin Shikong explained, his tone lighthearted.

[Hahaha! This guy's hilarious—mixing methods like that. You've got to see what he comes up with.]

Feng Qi sighed inwardly at the narrator's commentary but decided to play along. He gave Qin Shikong his birth details, including his zodiac sign.

Qin Shikong turned his gaze back to the stars. With a flick of his left hand and a steady hold on the Bagua disc in his right, he entered a mysterious divination state.

After a flurry of incomprehensible gestures, Qin Shikong suddenly turned to Feng Qi, his expression one of astonishment.

"Hey, my reading says you'll die young."

Feng Qi: …

Hearing the narrator burst into laughter, Feng Qi's lips twitched.

"How about you try again?"

"Sure, let's draw another lot," Qin Shikong said with a nod.